Sofa bed seat cushion support



y 1967 R. w. LA BEAUME ETAL 3,317,929

SOFA BED SEAT CUSHION SUPPORT Filed Dec. 13, 1965 Sheets-Sheet l M 2/ X. 4 r 3- l o 39 v l r .z g

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INVENTORS @mm amm y 1967 R. w. LA BEAUME ETAL 3,317,929

SOFA BED SEAT CUSHION SUPPORT Filed Dec. 15, 1965 s sheets sheet 2 FIG. 4.

INVENTORS 6 R. w. LA BEAUME ETAL 3,317,929

SOFA BED SEAT CUSHION SUPPORT Filed Dec. 13, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet (3 INVENTORS dzzg/geamm United States Patent Office 3,317,929 Patented May 9, 1967 3,317,929 SOFA BED SEAT CUSHION SUPPORT Rembert W. La Beaume, St. Louis, Mo., and Joseph R. Faszold, Fort Smith, Arie, assignors to Foster llros. Mfg. Co., St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 13, 1965, Ser. No. 523,817 8 Claims. (Cl. -30) The invention relates to sofa beds such as usually include a stationary wooden frame and a plurality of metal frame sections of steel pivotally connected end to end and adapted to be swung to a coplanar bed-forming, mattresssupporting position, in which at least one section has legs supporting it from the floor, or to be swung to a folded position in which one or more of the sections overlie another in a sofa'forming position in which a loose cushion may be placed on one of the folded sections. Wire mesh fabric panels extend between the sides of the metal frames and usually are attached thereto by short helical ties and are adapted to support a mattress in the first-mentioned position. The same wire fabric may also support the loose sofa cushion in the second-mentioned position but the yielding of the fabric and its helicals usually leaves areas which may sag and fail to afford firm support for a loose cushion and particularly for the marginal portions thereof.

The main object of the present invention is to avoid such sagging and to provide uniform spring support for the loose sofa cushion independently of the wire mesh fabric. This object is attained by a plurality of compression coil springs so positioned across one of the main frame sections as to yieldingly support the loose sofa cushion substantially throughout the area of the frame section.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating a structure embodying the invention:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a sofa bed as described above with the main frame sections unfolded into coplanar bed-forming, mattress-supporting position.

FIG. 2 is an end view of the same structure looking toward the right hand end of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the structure shown in FIG. 1 with the frame sections folded to sofa-forming position.

FIG. 4 is a perspective of three outer frame members near the beginning of a folding operation from the position shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 corresponds to FIG. 4 but shows another form of the invention.

FIG. 6 corresponds to the right hand part of FIG. 1 but shows the construction of FIG. 5.

The sofa bed as shown in FIGS. 1-4 includes a wood frame with lower rails 1, side arms 2, a back 3 and legs 4. A series of main frame sections 11, 12, 13, 14 of metal are pivotally connected to each other successively at 16, 17, 18. These frames may be termed an inner section, first and second intermediate sections and an outer section. They are also connected to each other by linkage 21, 22, 23,, 24.

Additional linkage 27, 28, 29 connect the metal frames to the wood frame so that the metal frames may be folded into the space between the wood frame sides 1 and below the level of the wood frame side arms 2 (FIG. 3). Wire mesh panels 31, 32 are stretched between the sides of the metal frames 12, 13, 14 by helical ties 33 and form a support for a mattress M when the sections are unfolded. This sofa bed structure is well known in the art and one form of such structure is shown in United States Letters Patent 3,150,384.

Pivoted at 35 to outer frame section 14 is a subframe comprising plates 36 with leg-forming angle extensions 37 the outer ends of which are connected by an end bar 38,

thus forming in FIGS. 1 and 2 a leg-like support for the outer end of frame section 14. Links 39 connect plates 36 with intermediate frame section 13. Bars 41, 42, 43, preferably of strap steel,'extend between opposite leg angles 37 and mount a plurality of coil springs 45 below and spaced from the wire mesh and projecting from subframe 36, 37, 38 toward the end of the bed. A rectangular rim 47 of relatively stiff steel wire surrounds the series of outer coils 45. Clips 48 and diagonal helicals 49 hold springs 45 in spaced relation to each other and to rim 47.

When the outer end of section 14 is lifted, as "indicated in FIG. 4, and swung upwardly and inwardly about pivots 18, the subframe is swung by link 39 about pivot 35 back against section 14 and lies substantially parallel thereto. Further movement of section 14 and section 13 about pivot 17 swings section 13 to an upright position with section 14 inverted over section 12, but held spaced therefrom by section 13, and mattress M is folded between sections 12 and 14 (FIG. 3). Springs 45 then extend upwardly above wire mesh 32 of section 14 and form a support for one or more loose cushions C above the' level of mesh 32 and throughout the area of the bottom of the cushion. Rim 47 extends around the lower marginal part of the cushion and holds it against sagging between springs 45 or beyond the outermost springs 45.

In FIGS. 5 and 6 the main frame sections 51, 52, 53, 54 correspond generally to sections 11, 12, 13, 14 previously described and legs 57, with or without a cross bar, support section 54 when unfolded. The main difference in the two forms of the invention is that bars 61, 62, 63 of the cushion support structure are secured direct to frame section 54 instead of to legs 57. Springs 65 are spaced apart about as shown in FIG. 2 and are similarly provided with a relatively stifi rim 67, but the springs depend from section 54 and face downwardly when the construction is unfolded rather than face forwardly as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

When the main frame sections are swung to sofa forming position, the cushion support structure is in substantially the same spaced relation to the outer section and its wire mesh as in the first arrangement and extends transversely of frame section 54 so that rim 67 is above the sides of the section as in FIG. 3.

Both forms of the invention obtain the objects of the invention as indicated in the introductory portion of the specification.

The details described above may be changed without departing from the spirit of the invention and the exclusive use of. modifications coming within the scope of the claims is contemplated.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. In a sofa bed construction, a series of frame sections having pivot connections to each other successively and movable about said connections to a folded sofaforming position with the outermost section inverted over an intermediate section and to an unfolded coplanar bed-forming position, there being wire mesh panels between the sides of said sections adapted and constructed to engage and to support a mattress throughout the length thereof and of said sections when the sections are folded and unfolded, a cushion support structure carried by one of said frame sections beneath the latter when the sections are unfolded, said structure including a series of bars extending substantially parallel to the section wire mesh panel, there being a group of coil springs each anchored at one end to one of said bars and projecting therefrom, transversely of the general plane of said bars means automatically positioning said cushion support structure being spaced above the section wire mesh panel when the sections are in sofaforming position and below the section wire mesh panel when the sections are in bed-forming position and being carried on the bar-supporting frame section independently of the wire mesh panel in both positions.

2. A sofa bed construction according to claim 1 in which a stiff wire rim surrounds the group of coil springs and forms a rectangle with a two sides and an end directly above two sides and an end of the end frame section, and ties between said rim and the outer springs of the group of springs and between the springs of the group, said ties holding the outer springs to the rim and holding all the springs in spaced relation to each other independently of the wire mesh panel and the end section frame.

3. A sofa bed construction according to claim 1 in which the cushion support structure includes a subframe pivoted to the outermost frame section and depending therefrom to provide leg-like support therefor when the structure is in bed-forming position, said subframe resting upon the outermost frame section when the sections are in folded sofa-forming position.

4. A sofa bed construction comprising an inner frame section, first and second intermediate frame sections and an outer end frame section, said sections having successive pivot connections to each other and swinging on said connections to a coplanar bed-forming position and to a folded sofa-forming position in which the outer frame section is inverted and spaced above and substantially parallel to the first intermediate frame section, a subframe pivoted to the outer end frame section between the ends of the latter and depending substantially vertically therefrom, when the construction is unfolded, to support the end frame section from the floor, coil springs carried by said subframe and projecting transversely of the general plane thereof toward the outer end of the unfolded bed frames, said subframe being foldable under the end frame section as the latter is swung upwardly and inwardly and inverted over the first intermediate frame section toward sofa-forming position, said coil springs then projecting upwardly from the general plane of the first intermediate frame section for supporting a sofa cushion above the inverted outer end frame section.

5. In a foldable sofa bed construction, a series of main frame sections arranged end to end and having pivot connections between adjacent sections and including wire mesh panels between the sides of the sections and forming a mattress support when the sections are unfolded into a coplanar bed-forming position, one of said sections being at the outer end of the bed, said sections being foldable to a sofa-forming position, a cushion mounting structure including metal bars extending transversely of said outer end frame section and supported above the latter when the sections are in sofa-forming position, there being a series of coil springs, each mounted at one end to one of said bars, a rectangular rim of wire secured to the other ends of said springs, and another group of coil springs positioned intermediate and tied to the springs of said series and similarly supported, all of said springs projecting upwardly above the outer end frame section and its wire mesh panel when the sections are folded to sofa-forming position, and all of'said coil springs being below said wire mesh panel when the sections are unfolded to bed-forrning position.

6. A sofa bed construction according to claim 5 in which the main frame sections include a head section, a long inner intermediate section, a relatively short forward intermediate section and an outer end section, said outer end section when folded to sofa-forming position overlying the long intermediate section and being'spaced therefrom by the short intermediate section to enclose a folded mattress and said metal bars extending from side to side of said outer end section and being supported therefrom when the construction is in sofa-forming position.

7. A sofa bed construction according to claim 5 in which the bars on which the springs are mounted are connected directly to the sides of the outer end frame section.

8. A sofa bed construction according to claim 4 which includes a mattress extending over all the unfolded sections when in coplanar position and folded between said outer frame section and one of said intermediate frame sections when in folded position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,306,475 6/1919 Frank 5-46 1,945,186 1/1934 Frank 5-36 2,329,503 9/1943 Young 531 3,150,384 9/1964 Helton 5-13 FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Examiner. 

1. IN A SOFA BED CONSTRUCTION, A SERIES OF FRAME SECTIONS HAVING PIVOT CONNECTIONS TO EACH OTHER SUCCESSIVELY AND MOVABLE ABOUT SAID CONNECTIONS TO A FOLDED SOFAFORMING POSITION WITH THE OUTERMOST SECTION INVERTED OVER AN INTERMEDIATE SECTION AND TO AN UNFOLDED COPLANAR BED-FORMING POSITION, THERE BEING WIRE MESH PANELS BETWEEN THE SIDES OF SAID SECTIONS ADAPTED AND CONSTRUCTED TO ENGAGE AND TO SUPPORT A MATTRESS THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH THEREOF AND OF SAID SECTIONS WHEN THE SECTIONS ARE FOLDED AND UNFOLDED, A CUSHION SUPPORT STRUCTURE CARRIED BY ONE OF SAID FRAME SECTIONS BENEATH THE LATTER WHEN THE SECTIONS ARE UNFOLDED SAID STRUCTURE INCLUDING A SERIES OF BARS EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE 